N° 03 - Fall 2006

THE BIE NEWSLETTER

75...and Today This time, 75 years ago, the BIE was taking its first steps as the regulatory organisation overseeing World Expos. While developing a lasting framework for its Convention, the BIE was also beginning to prepare the first Expo under its auspices, Brussels 1935.

Since then, the BIE has established and worked to provide guarantees of sustainability in all its areas of competence: enabling Countries to participate to Expos under the best conditions; regulating the frequency of Expos to manage costs and maintain credibility; recognizing, through prizes, the excellence of innovations and products to help create a discriminating public.

In establishing the groundwork for the regulatory activities of the BIE, Mr. Isaac, its first Director, said that its “legislation must adapt every day to the data derived from experience.” Today, this is still true. The BIE continues to adapt to the changing needs of the international community in all areas that are governed by its Convention and in the new areas reflecting the world’s priorities.

As the search for better quality of life for citizens is increasingly connected to the creation of sustainable urban environments, the work of the BIE is directed to ensure that Expos have a lasting and positive role in achieving this urgent and global goal. Beginning in 1994, the General Assembly has adopted a set of Resolutions designed to guarantee that Expos will contribute to the quality of life, to the quality of the environment and to the preservation of resources.

75 years later, the BIE has not shifted its focus but rather has broadened its efforts, through the contribution of Expos and equally importantly, through an increasing number of member states. With this accumulated experience the BIE maintains its conviction that Expos have a real transformational power. Because they are an instrument of change through their long terms effects on the urban environment, on the life of the citizens and on the minds of the international community, Expos continue to require a sustained and concerted international framework. 2008 PERSPECTIVES

Although Expos have always had the education of Indeed, civil participation at was so the public as their first priority, civil participation in rooted into the organizational structure of the event the Expos themselves used to be extremely limited. that a remarkable feeling of solidarity was created Today we have a new opportunity to truly engage all between everyone involved. Visitors realized the of civil society within the Expo framework. value of working together toward a common goal. Expo 2005 was the first Expo to fully grasp I hope that the efforts of Expo 2005 will be this opportunity. continued in all future World Expos to allow us to create a truly global and diverse dialogue. Wu Jianmin President of the BIE Long live Expos! 2010

Page 1 BUREAU INTERNATIONAL DES EXPOSITIONS | THE NEWSLETTER | N°03 Expos: always for and with Citizens The fact that Expos can provide a platform for civil society to act on critical global issues makes them very important instruments Expos are a great gift that a Country makes to its citizens. Citizens whereby ordinary people can contribute to the realization of are the ultimate measure of success of an Expo. This is why this policies towards “sustainable development.” We can actually go volume of our newsletter highlights the important role of civil society further and say that civil society has the real power to solve in Expos. global issues and that Countries or Companies cannot do so without the backing and the support of citizens. In recent years Expos have seen a greater engagement of civil society: citizens of the organizing country, but also from abroad, One of the key ways for engaging civil society is through volunteer have shown that they were available and happy to bring their programs whose development is today one of the main priorities own contribution. of the Expos in preparation.

Aichi is a great example of this: the efforts of the approximately Expos are for the citizens. No Expo should 30,000 volunteers, 30 participating NGOs, and 235 civic groups ever be organized against the citizens, helped educate over 22 million people who visited Expo 2005 whose participation and commitement and showed them that they, too, can make a contribution to the are vital. solution of global problems. This is also a major achievement of EXPO 2005, as people realized that one small step is all it takes to Vicente González Loscertales have an impact on global society. Secretary General of the BIE

Cosmos: 2006: Million of Efforts Concerted a Prize for Nature It takes two to tango. It may take thousands to organize an exhibition. But it is taking millions of In its efforts to support the legacy of Expos, in July the BIE manpower and participation from all sectors in Thailand to create Royal Flora Ratchaphruek 2006, the met with representatives of first A1 international horticultural exhibition in Thailand and in Southeast Asia. The result? One of the the Foundation that awards most beautiful horticultural expositions in the world. the International Cosmos Out of 76 provinces across the country, population of 63 Prize. million people, 51 provinces have confirmed to bring in This 40 million yen prize over 200 types of flowers, plants, and fruits to be displayed is annually awarded by the Expo ’90 Foundation, at the show - many have rarely been seen outside their , to those who have, home towns. through their work, applied Some of the provinces participate in the show by and realized the ideals of Expo ’90: “The Harmonious building provincial gardens featuring outstanding plants, Coexistence of Nature and architecture, and local culture in a zone called “Corporate Mankind”. Garden.” During a ceremony in Osaka Apart from the provinces, government agencies, state enterprises, and conglomerates are also building in the fall, this year’s prize beautiful gardens in the zone — 22 organizations in total. Each of the garden’s concept is based on His will be presented to Dr. Raman Sukumar, Professor Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand’s agricultural and self-sufficiency economy theories. of Ecological Science, Indian Besides the beautiful gardens, 38 provinces will be entertaining visitors with 90 programs of local Institute of Science. dances, music, and more. Some local dances have rarely been seen, even by a Thai audience. Evaluation of Aichi In addition to building gardens, showing off their rare plants Expo 2005 and flowers, and performing local dances in the exposition, Thai people will also play good hosts to visitors from all In October 2006 the over the world. Particularly, the locals of Chiang Mai, the BIE will release the final host province, will decorate their city in association with the evaluation of Aichi Expo horticultural expo. And Chiang Mai people are preparing both 2005. their residential and business units to be as pleasurable as The evaluation is based on Resolution N. 12, possible for the visitors and to give them the best holidays in adopted in 1999 by the Chiang Mai and in the “Royal Flora Ratchaphruek 2006.” General Assembly, that The highlight-brimming, entertainment-packing “Royal Flora Ratchaphruek 2006,” (November 1, 2006 to defines Assessments and Results of Participation January 31, 2007, in Chiang Mai, Thailand) will make visitors from all over the world feel that the expo to compare experiences is a result of the concerted effort of millions of participants, indeed. and improve participation www.royalfloraexpo.com in Expos.

Page 2 Volunteers at Expo 2008 Aichi 2005: A total of 22.807 people have accepted to participate to the Volunteer Program of Expo Zaragoza Civil Society in the 2008 (14 June -14 September 2008), a number that will continue to grow and to enrich the human Post Expo capital of this World Expo. Through participation to the What stands out most about this large group, Expo 2005, civil society had which has committed itself to dedicating people realize that they can its time to the Expo, is diversity. Volunteers make a contribution to the come from all regions in Spain and from all solution of various problems, continents. The age ranges between 14 (they from community level to global will be 16 by the time the Expo takes place) issues. and 94. They will be the «voices», the «eyes» and the «added value» of Expo Zaragoza 2008: Still, people keep in their mind they will create awareness and promote the the sense of the solidarity Expo, they will give their attention, help and nurtured through the Expo, inform visitors, as well as intervene in case which is to be maintained as of incidents to bring about a prompt solution. one of the most important legacies of the Expo.

Volunteers will also be placed in specific locations according to their experiences and preference. Civil society can invite more people to this loop of solidarity All volunteers undertake a basic information and training programme, in person or toward the realization of via an electronic system as chosen. the sustainable society, we believe. Marta Colomer Head of Volunteer Department, Expo Zaragoza 2008 Munenori Yamada www.expozaragoza2008.es Former Assistant Secretary General, EXPO 2005 Aichi

To bring the World Expo at home means to bring the World at home

The World Expo constitutes a grand gathering of human beings and a carnival of the people around the world. However, the purpose of the civil participation goes beyond the simple gathering to the benefit from such an event.

As stipulated in the Article 1，Part 1 of the BIE Convention, “An exhibition is a display which, …, has as its principal purpose the education of the public”, the World Expo regards it as a responsibility to encourage the public creation and participation with enthusiasm.

The bidding process of the embodied the public encouragement and involvement in itself.

From the reception of the BIE Inquiry Mission to the current overall preparation endeavors, such a demanding clear-up project within the Expo Site in particular, we have always been deeply moved and motivated by the support and zeal of our people. We are powered by the same zeal to prepare a world exposition of excellence for the people at home and abroad.

The success of an innovation-oriented world exposition is based upon the openness both to the hosting country and the whole world. The Expo 2010, for instance, will not only welcome the participation from around 200 countries and international organizations, but also involve all walks of life into different forums, seminars, and dozens of thousand cultural and recreational events.

May we avail ourselves of this newsletter to solicit for more creative ideas from whatever corner of the world. What an honor it would be for us to witness your contributions turn into reality in the Expo 2010!

Yang Xiong Vice Mayor of Shanghai www.expo2010china.com

Page 3 BUREAU INTERNATIONAL DES EXPOSITIONS | THE NEWSLETTER | N°03 Shanghai Forum 2006 Expo Shanghai 2010, in collaboration with the BIE, hosted its annual forum Better Tangier: Culture and Connections City, Better Life: Making it Happen, Making it Last, in Shanghai on September 27th. Through a number of plenary sessions, held over one day, the theme of Expo 2010 Following the «Better City, Better Life» was articulated around three distinct but related topics: submission of - Sustainable urban development and the making of quality cities in the global the candidature context. of Korea, Morocco was the second to submit - City and Citizens: social and cultural aspects for quality of life. its official letter on June 22nd, 2006 to host - A blueprint for future cities: exhibiting best practices in urban life. Expo 2012. If the bid were to be successful, the The Forum brought together international experts and city officials to participate to Expo will be held in the city of Tangier under the the development of the theme of Shanghai 2010 Expo. The Forum addressed all of theme: Routes of the World, cultures connecting. the facets of quality of life in the city: from the creation and nature of the urban and For a more united world, and will open to visitors social environment to a practical presentation of best practices in urban life. from June 16th to September 16th 2012. The site of the Expo will be located on the bay of Tangier …to be continued and in the very centre of the city.

Wroclaw: Leisure and Economics ON E XPOS: Expos and Civil Society has joined Korea and Morocco in becoming a candidate for the organisation of the Expos have been flourishing as excellent opportunities to experience what is already 2012 Expo. The proposed host city is Wroclaw known but cannot be found yet in real life. Expos are much more than just showcases with the theme The Culture of Leisure in World of humanity’s achievements in particular fields. It is not countries as institutions that Economies. express themselves through their pavilions at the Expo, but nations, not as institutions, but as people organised in a particular way. Wroclaw is located in the south-western No country can portray itself entirely without referring to its civil society. Political and part of Poland. The other formalised institutions do not provide a complete picture of the country, of its period of time chosen people and collective undertakings. The presence of the civil society is necessary to for the hosting of the express the interests that do not normally appear on the political agenda and to show exhibition is between its values. It is this tendency that will shape the direction which a country will follow the 24th June and 24th September. with its civil society driving political and legislative institutions to take final action. On October 19th and 20th, the city will host its first conference on «The Phenomenon of the As governments, corporations and NGOs may have contradictory views on certain Culture of Leisure». issues, as it is the case with those related to the environment, it is not always easy for governments and sponsors to make room for forms of expression of civil society 139th BIE General Assembly in their national pavilions at international exhibitions. This subsequently leads to a non-inclusion of the civil society views in the national presentations, rendering them On June 30th, BIE member states unanimously incomplete. approved all of the reports of the 4 Committees and received information about the preparation Civil society, in many cases represented by NGOs, stretches across borders tackling of Expos and the new Expo projects. issues shared by individuals from different countries. Having come to realise this, the organisers of international exhibitions have given NGOs the chance to express their To continue the 75th anniversary celebrations, the BIE announced that it will organise a concer t views and show their achievements on their own in recent exhibitions. with the music of Expos in conjunction with the Expo Zaragoza 2008 will provide the opportunity to the civil society to be present in the next General Assembly. Expo both physically through presentations in a pavilion and through the forums and discussions of the Water Tribune. We believe that AVE SYMPOSIUM Expo Zaragoza will prove to be a fertile ground for the expression BRUSSELS - Belgium and fulfilment of the interests of civil society. March 16th – 17th 2007 How International Exhibitions can change a city Juan Correas A Brussels case study Participants’ Director, Expo Zaragoza 2008

IMPORTANT DATES OCTOBER 19-20 : The Phenomenon of the Culture of Leisure, Wroclaw, Poland CONTACT 27 : Executive Committee Meeting 34 Avenue d’Iéna NOVEMBER 1 : Royal Flora Ratchaphruek 2006, Opening Ceremony 3 : Last day to submit 2015 candidacy 75016 Paris 8-9 : Zaragoza 2008, 1st International Planning Meeting Tel : 01 45 00 38 63 15-16 : Shanghai 2010, 1st International Participants Meeting Email : [email protected] 22 : Last day to submit 2012 candidacy www.bie-paris.org 18 : 75th Anniversary Concert, The Music of Expos 1 DECEMBER 18-19 : 140th General Assembly of the BIE © BIE

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